


the girl next door

by ThatsrightZoeyeyye



Category: Firebringer - Team StarKid
Genre: (i haven't read any quarantine fics yet, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Girl next door, Prompt:, Quarantine, Which is surprising, so im here to give you poor zazz, stuck at home alone even though she's an extrovert)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:55:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23245120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatsrightZoeyeyye/pseuds/ThatsrightZoeyeyye
Summary: “It’s been a while since the last time I’ve had to wear ear-plugs to sleep because of your music,” a voice cut through the silence, “I thought you’d moved out.”Zazzalil turned her head to Jemilla, the girl next door, standing on her own balcony, a few feet away from her. It had been a while since she’d seen her.
Relationships: Jemilla/Zazzalil (Firebringer)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 66





	the girl next door

**Author's Note:**

> ever heard of christmas fics and valentine's day fics? well it's time for a new revolutionary concept: quarantine fics  
> i'm pretty sure there already is a fair amount of them, so i wanted to participate. plus it goes well with this week's prompt: girl next door

Zazzalil had reached a point of quarantine where she was pretty sure that she was going insane. She had been working from home for two weeks, and sure, at least she was still getting paid and her job didn’t put her in danger of getting the coronavirus, but she hadn’t left her apartment in fifteen days and it was driving her mad.

Her friend Keeri had gone to buy groceries several times, and she said she’d had to wait an entire hour just to get inside the store, and that half of the shelves were empty. So Zazzalil, who had enough food in the freezer and a fair amount of toilet paper from before it all started, had decided to wait until absolutely necessary.

The government had issued a list of reasons one was allowed outside: work, groceries, health, care for children or elderly people in the family, physical exercise, or walking your dog. Zazzalil worked from home, had no groceries, no health problems, no children, no elderly people to care for, no dogs, and she’d rather stay inside forever than go on a run. So she was stuck inside.

She hadn’t seen her friends in a week. Sure, they’d texted, and they’d said they’d do a video chat of some sort, but she wanted to hug them, get drunk with them and hug them some more.

She missed parties. She missed the loud music and the euphoria of the moment. She missed winning beer pong against Smelly-Balls (after all these years of seeing each other almost every week, she still didn’t know his real name). She missed flirting with random strangers. She missed trying to convince Tiblyn not to text her exes. She missed sitting on her balcony with Keeri, sharing a bottle and talking about whatever came through their mind. She missed karaoke with Molag. She missed Schwoopsie’s improvised comedy shows and the recurring jokes.

It had only been two weeks, but she missed them.

It was Saturday morning, and as she woke up alone, in a clean apartment and with no hangover, she had troubles appreciating it. So she walked out on her balcony, without Keeri, and she sat on a chair.

“It’s been a while since the last time I’ve had to wear ear-plugs to sleep because of your music,” a voice cut through the silence, “I thought you’d moved out.”

Zazzalil turned her head to Jemilla, the girl next door, standing on her own balcony, a few feet away from her. It had been a while since she’d seen her. They were never outside at the same time.

“It’s been a while since the last time you came to party with us.”

Jemilla brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear. She always used to do that. It felt oddly comforting to know she still did.

“It’s been a while since we graduated college.”

“You used to party with us almost every week,” Zazzalil said, “we were all friends, now you’re just,”

She hesitated for a second. It had been almost four years since graduation. Almost as long since the last time Jemilla had gone to a party with the rest of them. Almost two years since they’d accidentally become neighbors.

“-the girl next door,” she finished.

There was no other way to describe it, really. They never talked, barely ever saw each other.

“Well,” Jemilla said, “girl next door, what do you say we catch up? This is pretty much the only real interactions that are legally allowed right now.”

Zazzalil smiled. She had missed Jemilla, even if she’d never let herself think about it.

“Sure,” she answered.

ooo

It had been three weeks since the beginning of the apocalypse, as Jemilla and her called it to try and make the situation less stressful. She had gone outside once, to get some food, and had even managed to get a pack of toilet paper rolls.

She sat on a chair on her balcony every day, Jemilla doing the same on hers just a few feet away. They talked for hours. After all these years, they still got along. They had their disagreements, but the hatred of their two first years of college was long gone. After all these years, Zazzalil was still, unsurprisingly but very frustratingly, falling in love with Jemilla.

She had fallen in love in college, but Jemilla had dated Clark and Claire, and Zazzalil had given up. She was nothing like them. Not as pretty, not as smart, not as calm, not as capable, not as overall perfect.

Keeri said she was, but she was her friend, had been since they were three, she was family. It was her duty to make Zazzalil feel good about herself. Keeri never told the truth if it was hurtful (apart from that one time Zazzalil had gone too far in her rivalry with Jemilla and had ended up fucking up everything).

Jemilla had moved on, they’d grown apart, they’d lost touch. Zazzalil had gotten over her, fallen in love with other people.

But Jemilla was right there, and she helped her organize her time and create routines to maneuver quarantine. They both worked from home, and they spent their lunch breaks together on their balconies, talking and laughing like during college lunch breaks.

There was that look in Jemilla’s eyes whenever Zazzalil said something smart, and the way she tried to hide her smile whenever Zazzalil said something funny, and the way she brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear, and her witty humour, and the way she always knew how to make Zazzalil less anxious when the situation became too much.

There were all these little details that hadn’t changed since college, and all these little details that were new. It felt like meeting Jemilla again, and there was the way Zazzalil’s heart burst in her chest every morning when Jemilla smiled at her before she said hello, that beautiful, almost shy smile, and the way she looked excited to be talking to her. So Zazzalil let herself hope a little.

ooo

Jemilla was on her couch. Technically, it wasn’t allowed, but they’d been quarantined for a month and none of them showed any sign of illness. Jemilla, ever the rule-follower, had climbed on her balcony, and they were watching a movie while eating dinner on the couch. Zazzalil had cooked her famous lasagna (Jemilla admitted that she had missed them) and gotten a nice bottle of wine.

It had started simple enough. Zazzalil had gathered her courage, tried her best to look casual, and had asked Jemilla if she wanted to go to the cinema with her once the quarantine was over.

“Sure,” Jemilla had said, seeming sure of her answer but looking at Zazzalil quizzically.

Somehow, they’d decided that they wouldn’t wait, and they’d chosen lasagna and Netflix.

“Is this a date?” Jemilla had asked, doing that thing with her hands she always did when she was nervous.

“Can it be?” Zazzalil had whispered hesitantly.

“I’d like that,” Jemilla had admitted, looking at the floor.

“I’d like that too,” Zazzalil had said.

There had been a silence, for a few seconds. Not an uncomfortable silence, but not a comfortable one either.

“Well,” Jemilla’s voice had wavered, “see you tomorrow.”

She had smiled shyly and made her way inside. Zazzalil had returned the smile.

So they were on Zazzalil’s couch, eating lasagna, drinking wine, and watching a stupid movie.

The evening went on, the movie ended, dinner was over, and Jemilla was standing up.

“I should head home,” she muttered, “I’m a little tired.”

She did look tired. She also looked beautiful, but that was nothing out of the ordinary.

“I’ll walk you home like a proper lady then,” Zazzalil chuckled.

They walked out on the balcony, Jemilla climbed back over the metal rails, and she looked back at her neighbor.

Zazzalil very much wanted to kiss Jemilla. They were standing face to face, and they were reasonably close. She thought about the coronavirus, then she thought about the weeks she’d spent in quarantine with no signs of illness, then she looked at Jemilla’s lips, and she was pretty sure Jemilla was closer than she was just a few seconds before, so she took a step closer.

They didn’t move for a second. Zazzalil could almost feel Jemilla’s breath on her face.

Then she closed the gap. Their lips met, and Jemilla’s hands went to her hips, pulling her closer. Zazzalil buried her hands in the other woman’s hair, and they kissed. It was slow, and a little hesitant at first. It was wonderful.

When they pulled apart, Jemilla was smiling, and the corners of Zazzalil’s lifted as they rested their foreheads together.

Jemilla brushed a strand of Zazzalil’s hair behind her ear, and Zazzalil was pretty sure it was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

“Would you run away if I told you I’ve wanted to kiss you since college?” Jemilla asked.

Zazzalil stood straighter and looked in Jemilla’s eyes.

“Really?” she asked, frowning and smiling at the same time.

Jemilla looked down, blushing slightly.

“Is it weird?” she murmured, “I just had that enormous crush on you.”

“You did?” Zazzalil exclaimed incredulously, and Jemilla nodded.

“Well shit,” she scoffed, “we could have gone on a date five years ago, how crazy is that?”

“You would have gone on a date with me?” Jemilla asked, “when we were in college?”

Zazzalil smiled a little.

“With no second thoughts,” she answered, “it’s impossible not to fall in love with you.”

Jemilla raised her head, looking in Zazzalil’s eyes hesitantly.

“It’s impossible not to fall in love with you, too,” she whispered, and there was that smile at the corner of her lips again, the one that made Zazzalil fall a little more every time.

“I love you,” she murmured.

Maybe she shouldn’t, maybe it was too soon. She had always been told you shouldn’t say that on first dates. But she loved Jemilla, and she was pretty sure Jemilla loved her too.

“I love you too,” Jemilla whispered softly.

They smiled, and they kissed, and the skin of Jemilla’s cheeks was soft, and her hands were warm and comforting and her hips, and Zazzalil was pretty sure she never wanted to stop kissing her.

**Author's Note:**

> if you want weekly writing prompts and cool people, come join us in the starkid writes discord server! it's fun and motivating. there are about twenty of us and everyone is welcome  
> link is https://discord.gg/sg2Pmjq  
> if it doesn't work, you can find a post on my tumblr blog @thatsrightzoeyeyye


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